The Scout Report - March 31, 2000

March 31, 2000

A Publication of the Internet Scout Project
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Scout Report is a weekly publication offering a selection of new and newly discovered Internet resources of interest to researchers and educators. However, everyone is welcome to subscribe to one of the mailing lists (plain text or HTML). Subscription instructions are included at the end of each report.

Report of the Mars Program Independent Assessment Team [.pdf]http://www.nasa.gov/newsinfo/marsreports.html
On March 28, NASA released the final report of the Mars Program Independent Assessment Team (MPIAT), formed to investigate the recent failure of the Mars Polar Lander. Headed by Thomas Young, the team concluded that they were "almost certain" that the accident was the result of a premature engine shutdown, probably caused by a spurious signal from one of the spacecraft's three landing legs, sending the probe into the Mars surface at 50 miles per hour. In addition to this specific failure, Young's team also cited "inadequate funding and inadequate margins" as the underlying cause. An internal Special Review Board at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) also released its report on Tuesday, concurring that premature shutdown was the "most probable cause." In the wake of these reports, NASA has announced that the planned Mars 2001 lander will be cancelled pending the approval of a new overall Mars "architecture plan." Users can read the official press release, a summary and the full text of the Young report, and the full text of the Special Review Board report in .pdf format at NASA's site. [MD][Back to Contents]

BOPCRIS: British Official Publications Collaborative Reader Information Servicehttp://www.bopcris.ac.uk/index.html
RSLPhttp://www.rslp.ac.uk/
Developed as part of the Research Support Libraries Programme (RSLP), BOPCRIS is a prototype service designed to help researchers save time by providing a Web-based bibliographic database of 19th- and 20th-century British Official Publications. Of the more than 200,000 Parliamentary papers in partner libraries, BOPCRIS focuses on approximately 16,000 key documents from 1833 to 1983. Users can browse the records by date or subject, search by keyword, or conduct an advanced search with a number of modifiers. Entries include Title, Series, Bound Set Volume Number, Paper/Bill Number, Publisher, and Date Published. At present, detailed abstracts are available for all of the 1900-1916 records and many of those from 1917-1939. Future plans for the site include abstracts for all of the documents indexed, listings of the nearest location of relevant documents, and digitized, full-text versions of selected documents. Any scholar of 19th- and 20th-century Britain who uses official documents will warmly welcome this site, which is another example of the Web's potential for helping researchers discover and locate important resources before they set foot out of their own doors. [MD][Back to Contents]

Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS)http://tess.uspto.gov/
This new site, currently a pilot service, will soon replace the US Trademark Search Database. TESS allows the general public to search and retrieve trademark application and registration information, using the same text and image database provided to examining attorneys at the US Patent and Trademark Office. Users have three search options, a simple Structured Form Search, a more advanced Free Form Search, and a Browse Dictionary option, which allows "users to scan through the search indices to see indexed terms around a specific search term and provides the counts of occurrences for those indexed terms." Initial returns include Serial Number, Word Mark, and Live/Dead Indicator. Each links to a more detailed record which includes Filing Date, Owner, Type of Mark, and when appropriate, an image. A sample search for "beer" returned over 11,000 returns, while one for "software" produced over 150,000 hits. Search help, a glossary, and a FAQ are provided. [MD][Back to Contents]

Royal Greenwich Observatory/USAF/NOAA: Sunspot Record 1874-2000 [.zip]http://science.msfc.nasa.gov/ssl/pad/solar/greenwch.htm
NASA/Marshall Solar Physicshttp://science.msfc.nasa.gov/ssl/pad/solar/default.htm
Hosted by the NASA/Marshall Solar Physics site, this page contains a large dataset based on daily sunspot observations compiled by the Royal Greenwich Observatory (RGO) between 1874 and 1976 and since then by the US Air Force Solar Optical Observing Network (SOON). Users can view the entire dataset by year as ASCII text files, or can download the entire series from 1874-1997 in a single .zip file. "Each file consists of records with information on individual sunspot groups for each day that spots were observed." The site also offers additional information and a number of special features on solar science. These are also available at the NASA/Marshall main site, in addition to recent solar physics news stories. [MD][Back to Contents]

Reception of Texts Databasehttp://www2.open.ac.uk/ClassicalStudies/GreekPlays/welcom.html
Reception of Texts Project, Department of Classical Studies The Open Universityhttp://www2.open.ac.uk/ClassicalStudies/GreekPlays/
Created by the Reception of Texts Project at the Open University, this pilot database is designed to help practitioners of reception studies "address issues of performance with the same degree of rigour and attention to evidence which is expected in textual studies and to develop ways of documenting performance which recognise its cross disciplinary and creative dimensions." To that end, academics and students in classical studies, literature, theater studies, and related fields can use this database to search for information on the performances of Greek plays in the original and in adaptations, versions and translations in English from c.1970 to the present, and in the future, poetry in English which draws on Greek texts, myths, and images. The database offers nine search categories, each with a slightly different search format, some offering only a simple keyword search, others with multiple modifiers, and others with pull-down menus for browsing. With the exception of the Critical Works category, searches ultimately return a Production Details page which generally includes modern and original title, year, theater, dates of performance, company, and music, design, and general notes. A useful feature throughout the database is a Missing Information form, which allows users to submit additional or missing information about specific entries. [MD][Back to Contents]

Living Links [RealPlayer]http://www.emory.edu/LIVING_LINKS/
Hosted by the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center at Emory University, the Living Links site specializes in "comparisons of the social life, ecology, cognition, neurology, and molecular genetics of apes and humans." With an emphasis on the four extant great apes (bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans), this educational site attempts "1) to reconstruct human evolution, 2) pinpoint the differences and similarities between humans and apes, and 3) educate the public about apes, and promote their well-being and conservation." The Info section provides a long (hyperlinked) list of general information on apes, from Allogrooming to Wooly spider monkeys. The Research section gives a brief overview of the Yerkes Center's research questions (and their evolutionary context), and Animals describes the Center's study animals -- three main social groups of chimpanzees -- with a special vocalizations feature. For those interested in learning more about apes and how our ancestry is intertwined with theirs, this site will be of interest. [LXP][Back to Contents]

Adherents.comhttp://www.adherents.com/
Created and maintained as an independent project by Preston Hunter, this site offers a large collection of statistics on religion, currently totalling more than 44,000 adherent statistics and religious geography citations for "over 4,000 religions, churches, denominations, religious bodies, faith groups, tribes, cultures, movements, ultimate concerns, etc." While deep, the site offers these statistics with absolutely no filtering or distillation, and some users may find the listings somewhat confusing. Those in search of quick facts (largest religions, major branches, largest churches, etc.) will find them on the main page. More detailed statistics are found in the two indexes -- Religion by Location and Religion by Name. The indexes list groups, location, number of adherents, percentage of total population, number of congregations, number of countries, source, and notes or a quote. Users will find numerous and sometimes contradictory statistics for some faiths, depending on the sources used and their dates. Despite this, the listings at this site are downright huge and may prove useful to a wide variety of students, researchers, and interested users. [MD][Back to Contents]

The Biotech Databasehttp://www.olis.oecd.org/bioprod.nsf
This prototype database was developed to allow regulatory officials in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) to share information about biotechnologically derived products that have been approved for commercialization or are in the process of being approved. The contents of the database have been provided on a voluntary basis from OECD member countries and institutions developing biotech products. Users can view the database contents by organism or developing country, search by keyword, or construct customized biotech products tables. As the site notes, this database is not intended to be a comprehensive listing of all biotech products, but rather an aid to information-sharing. A number of related links are offered at the bottom of the homepage. [MD][Back to Contents]

bugbioshttp://www.insects.org/
Designed and maintained by Dexter Sear, the founder of a digital media production company, this new site hosts a number of useful and interesting insect resources. Attractive and easy to navigate, the site reflects both Sear's technical expertise and his love of entymology. The first section, entophiles, allows users to view a collection (currently only 98) of high-quality insect photos accompanied by name information and a one-paragraph description. These are offered as thumbnails which may be enlarged further. The second section contains full-text past issues of Cultural Entomology Digest, a free e-zine published by Sear which explores the multitudes of insect references within human culture. The next section, Class Insecta, which has just begun development, will feature a number of articles and modules for teaching about insects. Currently only one module is available, an exploration of butterfly and moth wing patterns. Finally, the site includes a collection of annotated links. While a bit light on content at present, this site holds promise for both K-12 classrooms and interested non-specialists. [MD][Back to Contents]

IPEDS College Opportunities On-Line (COOL)http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool/Search.asp
Unveiled by the US Education Department on March 24, this new site helps prospective college students and their parents comparison shop, with data on over 9,000 college and universities nationwide. While the search options themselves are somewhat limited -- location, type of institution, instructional program, and number of students -- the data provided for individual institutions is more detailed. The information offered includes costs for tuition, books and supplies, and housing; statistics on degrees awarded, enrollment, and student demographics; and data on financial aid. Each institution's entry also includes contact information and a link to its Website. There are any number of sites aimed at college-bound seniors, but the size of this database and its source make it the authoritative starting point for college information searches. [MD][Back to Contents]

Black History at Harpweekhttp://blackhistory.harpweek.com/
Harpweek is a privately funded project begun in 1992 to digitize the entire contents of the nineteenth-century, illustrated periodical Harper's Weekly. The full database is only available by subscription, but Black History at Harpweek is one of a series of free resources that explore various themes using text and illustrations from Harper's. Black History features a timeline that lists the major events of slavery from the arrival of the first Africans in Virginia in 1619 to the raid on Harper's Ferry in 1859, plus two more timelines on the Civil War and Reconstruction. There are also many illustrations, such as the often reproduced Alfred Waud engraving of the first Black man to vote, the cover of the November 16, 1867 issue, and drawings and engravings that are the only action pictures from Civil War battlefields. One of these, "The Fight at Milikin's Bend," is accompanied by an account of the fighting and an editorial on the bravery of Negro troops, dated June 20, 1863. [DS][Back to Contents]

Harvard Law School Forum [RealPlayer]http://www.law.harvard.edu/studorgs/forum/index.html
Founded in 1946 by 30 law students returned from the war, the Harvard Law School Forum has remained a nonprofit, student-run organization that sponsors a variety of speakers and panel discussions featuring political, literary, and cultural luminaries from around the world. Over the years, many of these discussions have been broadcast on the radio or otherwise recorded and are now available online in their entirety. Past programs currently offered in RealPlayer format include, to name just a few, Henry Kissinger, Timothy Leary, Jimmy Hoffa, Martin Luther King, Betty Friedan, Shimon Peres, Carl Sagan, F. Lee Bailey, Mario Cuomo, Ralph Nader, Helen Thomas, Charlton Heston, and Vince McMahon. The site also features a guide to past programs (sorted by decade and some with photos or associated press clippings), a photo gallery, and information on upcoming speakers. The site is an ongoing project, and additional recordings and other materials will be added as they are prepared or become available. [MD][Back to Contents]

American University Campaign Finance Website [.zip, .dbf]http://www1.soc.american.edu/campfin/index.cfm
Originally created three years ago, this site from the journalism faculty and students at American University's School of Communication has been recently updated and expanded. The heart of the site is the Data Warehouse, a large collection of downloadable FEC (Federal Elections Commission) data on presidential (2000) and congressional (2000, 1998, 1996) elections. In this section, users can view basic information about candidates and incumbents, create summary tables, generate a number of lists, and view PAC contributions. The full files are zipped and offered in .dbf format. In addition, the section also contains detailed files on the 2000 presidential race (in .zip format), including street addresses for contributors, PAC filings, and federal matching funds and contributions by candidates. Future plans for the site include a news and features section and related links. [MD][Back to Contents]

Legal Enginehttp://www.legalengine.com/
This metasite is a useful starting-point for any search for online legal information, pulling together a wide array of international, federal, state, and organizational resources. Links are organized in numerous sections, including Caselaw, specific Legal Topics (Cyberlaw, Intellectual Property, Family Law, etc.), Reference Aids, Trial Advocacy, and Federal Rules, among others. Legal Engine also features link collections aimed at professors, students, and lawyers, as well as numerous other related search and legal sites. Please note that most linked pages are displayed within a frame at the Legal Engine site. [MD][Back to Contents]

Guidelines for Medical and Health Information Sites on the Internet -- AMA [.pdf]http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v283n12/full/jsc00054.html
Although developed for American Medical Association Websites and their users, these recently released guidelines and principles may prove useful to other providers and users of online medical information. Available from the Journal of the American Medical Association in HTML or .pdf format, the guidelines address issues such as the development and posting of Website content, acquisition and posting of online advertising and sponsorship, visitors's and patients's rights to privacy and confidentiality, and effective and secure means of e-commerce. [MD][Back to Contents]

European Governments on-linehttp://europa.eu.int/abc/governments/index_en.html
Newly redesigned, this site from Europa, the European Union's server, offers fast and easy access to the main governmental Websites of European nations. For the fifteen EU member states, the site provides annotated links to the executive branch, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and sometimes other important national civil service sites, as well as several unannotated links to other governmental bodies. Languages used at non-anglophone countries's sites are noted. For each of the non-EU nations, one annotated link is offered, generally to the main governmental server, executive branch, or Ministry of Foreign Affairs. [MD][Back to Contents]

Annual Lists of Top-Selling Toys -- TMAhttp://www.toy-tma.com/industry/news/topselling/annual.html
Toy Manufacturers of America (TMA) Homepagehttp://www.toy-tma.com/index.html
To the great satisfaction of many, no doubt, Pokemon was not the top-seller in 1999, losing out to the old standards -- Crayola Crayons and Hot Wheels cars. In terms of dollar sales, however, another relative newcomer stood at the top -- Furby, but it was followed closely by Hot Wheels, a toy costing 1/33 the price. At the Toy Manufacturers of America site, users can view the top-selling toys by dollar or unit sales for 1994-99. They can also read a list of new toys introduced last year as well as a ranking of the top software titles. [MD][Back to Contents]

Internet Explorer 5.0 for Machttp://www.microsoft.com/mac/download/en/default.asp
On March 27, Microsoft unveiled the latest version of their popular browser, Internet Explorer 5.0, for Mac. While earning praise for its stability, support for current Web standards (including HTML 4.0, XML 1.0, DHTML, CSS 1.0/2.0, DOM 1.0, and PNG 1.0.), and iMac-like new interface, IE 5.0 has also been criticized for its slower speed and difficulty loading poorly coded pages. Additional new features include a new Internet Scrapbook that allows users to save complete Webpages, a completely customizable toolbar, and an online Auction Manager. Users can download IE 5.0 for the Mac, as well as Outlook Express 5.02, for free at the Microsoft site. [MD][Back to Contents]

iHarvest One (Internet Explorer 4.0 or later, Windows 95/98/NT)http://www.iharvest.com/
This free program allows users to capture (drag-and-drop) entire Webpages or selected portions of pages and save them, images and formatting intact, in their "WebBase," a collection of easily navigated folders. Users can then combine and annotate these on a single page or even use them to generate search engine queries. In addition to text and graphics, users can also save other content, such as email, spreadsheets, Flash, and audio files. The program integrates quite nicely with Internet Explorer, residing in the Explorer bar panel, and opening on the left side of the browser window when selected. iHarvest's homepage offers a Shockwave demo, tour, and download information. Users will also find a crash course/tutorial when they first open iHarvest. [MD][Back to Contents]

Thanks to the Internet, users can already view a wide array of photos and reports on Mount Usu. They can being with a text report from Asahi News and video headlines from the Fuji News Network. Background information on Mount Usu as well as a map of major Japanese volcanoes are provided by the US Geological Survey (USGS) Cascades Volcano Observatory. For over 30 photos from Mount Usu, users can turn to Yahoo News. Reports from BBC News and CNN both include audio and video clips as well as related links. For more general earthquake information, readers should turn to the National Earthquake Information Center, the Volcanological Society of Japan, MCEER's Quakeline Database, and Volcano World. [MD][Back to Contents]

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Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2000. The Internet Scout Project (http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/), located in the Computer Sciences Department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides information about the Internet to the U.S. research and education community under a grant from the National Science Foundation, number NCR-9712163. The Government has certain rights in this material. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the entire Scout Report provided this paragraph, including the copyright notice, are preserved on all copies.

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The Scout Report (ISSN 1092-3861) is published weekly by Internet Scout